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Recent Publication: Priceless or Worthless? The world's most threatened species

1 October 2012

Launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in South Korea in September 2012, Priceless or Worthless? highlights the 100 most critically endangered species in the world. This book draws much-needed attention to all kinds of living things that are likely to go extinct soon without increased conservation - a collaborative effort between the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) (see the IUCN Press Release and ZSL Press Release).

Among the most threatened mammals, reptiles, fish, and insects on Earth, several plant species made the list including the Cayman Islands ghost orchid (Dendrophylax fawcettii, pg. 40), the wild yam (Dioscorea strydomiana, pg. 42), and Attenborough’s pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii, pg. 52). Tree species include the suicide palm (Tahina spectabilis, Pg. 72) and Qiaojia pine (Pinus squamata, pg. 82). Most plants on this list have been pushed to their limits by human activity such as logging, agriculture, and wild-collecting, causing major losses of habitat and remaining individuals. BGCI’s PlantSearch database aided in finding images for the Baishan fir (Abies beshanzuensis, pg. 76) and Magnolia wolfii (pg. 81), both of which have 5 or fewer individuals remaining in the wild.